Hexcel to promote latest technologies at Composites Europe

The focus of the promotions will be “making things better” – and Hexcel will show how innovations in resin matrix development and weaving technologies are transforming composite structures in automotive, wind energy, marine, sports equipment and other industrial markets.

HexPly M79 low temperature curing prepreg

Newly launched this year, HexPly M79 is a low temperature curing prepreg for large structures, such as wind turbine blades and boat structures.  The prepreg cures much more quickly than products currently on the market – saving energy and increasing output. 

A number of cure cycle options are possible, including a very low temperature cure of 8-10 hours at just 70°C or a more rapid cure cycle of 4-6 hours at 80°C. This is a significant time-saving on established industry prepregs where a typical cure cycle for an 80°C curing resin matrix is 10 hours.

There is also a 60% reduction in the risk of an exothermic reaction compared to conventional wind energy prepregs - yet the new system is based on the standard epoxy chemistry that has more than 20 years of proven performance for wind blades. Another benefit is the very long out life at room temperature of at least two months, which is unusual for such a low temperature curing product.

The low temperature cure of HexPly M79 makes it compatible with liquid epoxy resins used for infusion processing. This means that prepreg and infusion can be combined in a single wind blade structure, optimizing the benefits of both technologies to obtain stronger laminates from cost-effective processing.

PrimeTex Gap-Free Carbon Fibre Fabrics

PrimeTex is Hexcel’s patented carbon fibre weaving technology in which the fibres are spread in both the warp and weft directions to produce a uniform weave and gap-free finish. The PrimeTex spreading process increases the closure factor in the fabric by 5-8% compared to conventional weaving processes (depending on the carbon tow and FAW).

The PrimeTex spreading process also produces thinner fabrics, resulting in greater weight savings – and the new Very Light Weight PrimeTex, at 98g/m2, can lower the mass in a composite structure even further.  Laminates made with PrimeTex have reduced porosity, leading to better mechanical performance and when used in sandwich structures the thin PrimeTex skins have particularly high resistance to water ingress.

On Hexcel’s stand at Composites Europe will be a ski and hockey stick both made by Fischer using PrimeTex to benefit from the twin attributes of high performance and a highly attractive finish.

PrimeTex is also used to great effect in the contoured roof of the new BMW M6 Gran Coupe - combining elegant design with luxurious appearance.  BMW claims on their website that the contoured roof effectively lowers the weight and centre of gravity of the M6 Gran Coupe for even better driving characteristics.